Thought it might be cool to have a dedicated thread for health and fitness ideas, and questions. A place to share recipes, exercise routines, motivation, or just all-around positivity to help each other to live healthier and happier lives.

_________________"Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead." ~Charles Bukowski

_________________aka Pokatatorjoined Oct 26, 2006 and permanently banned from MAD Nov 6, 2006"Stop being such a damned coward and use your real name to own your position.""That's what he gets for posting in his own name."2 different threads same day 2 hours apart Yohoo Bat 12/1/2015

Wean yourself off of sugar. It only takes a few weeks and you will eat/ drink many less calories for the rest of your life. Once the sugar craving is gone, just the idea of a sweet drink will make you cringe.

ETA: It's also very good at helping avoid type two diabetes.

_________________This, or any other post that I have made or will make in the future, is strictly my own opinion and consequently of little or no value.

_________________~Those who benefit from the status quo always attribute inequities to the choices of the underdog.~Ann Crittenden~The Goddess is not separate from the world-She is the world and all things in it.~

I had someone here a while back mention that they’d like to know my arm routine, so here it is. For the most part, I stick to this, although I do modify it slightly from time to time. Besides this, I always do dips on chest day, since your triceps are going to account for a lot of your arm size.

Rep/set format below will be. ## x ### (#). The first number is the number of reps, the second number is how many sets, and the final number is the weight I use (most to give an idea of how much fluctuation there is between weight, and reps).

Warm-upStanding Dumbbell (DB) curls – 2 x 12-15 (15lbs). You want to make sure your first two warm up sets don’t cause any type of serious exertion. You’re mostly just trying to get a little blood flowing into your arms, and get everything warm. You want to choose a weight for these first two sets that feels like you could keep going for 25-30 reps if you wanted to.

Standing DB curls – 1 x 10 (20 lbs.). This second set you want to focus on form a bit more, and make sure the muscles are contracting as you lift. You are basically trying to establish a mind/muscle connection with this set.

Happy Fun Time

Seated DB curls – 3 x 5-6 (70lbs). It is really important to try to sit on something that has a back. You want to try to isolate your arms as much as possible, and prevent your ability to “cheat” the weight up. This is going to be your only heavy set for biceps. You’re not necessarily going to concentrate on contraction, but mostly just making sure your back is planted so your arms are doing most the work.

Dips -- 3 x 8. You may have to use a counterweight machine, or you may have to get a weight belt to make yourself heavier. For me, my bodyweight seems to be just about right.

Isolated DB curls – 3 x 10 (30lbs). How you isolate your bicep is up to you. I generally sit, and stick my elbow on the inside of my leg just above my knee. You could also use an incline bench. You want more of an angle though that a preacher curl will provide – you want to let the muscle extend completely so it stretches. These sets you are trying to focus on contraction, and get as much blood pushed into the muscle as possible.

Rope/cable pull-downs – 4 x 10 (80 lbs., 30 lbs.). The first two sets, I do with both hands. The second two sets, I do with individual hands.

Preacher curls – 4 x 12 (40lbs). I use a machine for these. If you use a DB, you’ll likely need to go with lower weight.

Cable tricep extension – 3 x 12. This is the tricep exercise where you will want to focus on contraction.

After all that, if I still have any “oomph” left, I will do a set of hammer curls. Make sure that once you are done with your workout, that you consume at least 30 grams of a fast digesting protein. Also, if you want to do some heavy leg work prior to arm work, that can help elevate your GH levels, and maximize arm growth (although, there is a big tradeoff with energy levels and intensity).

_________________"Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead." ~Charles Bukowski

Case in point - I can eat a 150 calorie cookie in a minute. But, it will then take an hour of walking to burn that same cookie back off. If one thinks in terms of how long it takes to rid oneself of the calorie load of whatever s/he is staring at in the pastry case, a rather compelling rationale to just walk away emerges.

Similarly, if that one extra cookie exceeds what is needed for daily caloric maintenance, then this habit - at the rate of one cookie per day - will add nearly 15 extra pounds to your body per year.

Keep that going for a few years, and it becomes apparent that very small changes in eating habits and choice can have a pretty major effect over the long haul.

Similarly, if that one extra cookie exceeds what is needed for daily caloric maintenance, then this habit - at the rate of one cookie per day - will add nearly 15 extra pounds to your body per year.

Keep that going for a few years, and it becomes apparent that very small changes in eating habits and choice can have a pretty major effect over the long haul.

I love how small changes can add up over the course of a year (or lifetime). One of the things I have done is I park my car in the furthest spot in the lot. I'm the first one to the office, and turn off the alarm each day, but I chose to park as far away as possible. It adds about 300 feet of walking to my day (150 in the moring, and 150 when I leave). Over the course of a year, this adds up to almost 14 miles of walking.

_________________"Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead." ~Charles Bukowski

Case in point - I can eat a 150 calorie cookie in a minute. But, it will then take an hour of walking to burn that same cookie back off. If one thinks in terms of how long it takes to rid oneself of the calorie load of whatever s/he is staring at in the pastry case, a rather compelling rationale to just walk away emerges.

Similarly, if that one extra cookie exceeds what is needed for daily caloric maintenance, then this habit - at the rate of one cookie per day - will add nearly 15 extra pounds to your body per year.

Keep that going for a few years, and it becomes apparent that very small changes in eating habits and choice can have a pretty major effect over the long haul.

Breastfeeding is the best diet I ever went on, but sadly, not an option for me anymore as the little troll self-weaned at 15 months.

I'm not overweight, but I'd like to lose 15-20 lbs before commencement in May. Most of the people in my family were very skinny as young adults, but put on weight rapidly when they hit their 30s and 40s, so I'd like to avoid that.

I have been doing the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred video. I've done it every day for 10 days in a row (taking a break on Sundays). I've never actually been able to stick with it for 30 days straight. If I manage it this time, and there are results, I think I'll try another one of her videos. I'm usually doing it in the morning before work (when I'm less likely to be heckled by my son while doing it), and I'm proud of that.

I have stopped drinking soda and switched to almost all water. The caffeine headaches are gone now. Just have to keep at it...

Some Schmo wrote:

I just got a fitbit, and let me tell you, when you are conscious of your heart rate, the number of steps you take, stairs you climb, and calories you burn, you change your behavior. I love this thing.

And oh yeah, it's also a watch.

Thanks for the recommendation, Schmo! I'd heard of them before, but now I think I will definitely pick one of these up.

Thanks for the recommendation, Schmo! I'd heard of them before, but now I think I will definitely pick one of these up.

Absolutely. I think you'll love it. I also got one for my wife for Christmas (I hadn't heard of it until she mentioned it was all she wanted), and these days she's practically bouncing off the walls making sure she gets her daily steps in, walking up stairs and watching her calorie burn. I'm sure she loves it even more than I.

_________________"You get to have your own beliefs, and your own wishes, and dreams, and imaginations. What you don't get to have is your own reality." - Sethbag

Thanks for the recommendation, Schmo! I'd heard of them before, but now I think I will definitely pick one of these up.

Absolutely. I think you'll love it. I also got one for my wife for Christmas (I hadn't heard of it until she mentioned it was all she wanted), and these days she's practically bouncing off the walls making sure she gets her daily steps in, walking up stairs and watching her calorie burn. I'm sure she loves it even more than I.

Thanks, folks. You inspired me to get out in the afternoon sunshine for a walk. Felt great!

_________________​“The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.”

And in the meantime, if you want to start counting steps right away and have a 'smartphone', there are some great free apps that will do that for you. I have Stepz loaded on to an iPhone and it's easy, handy and fun!

Last edited by canpakes on Fri Jan 22, 2016 11:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

And in the meantime, if you want to start counting steps right away and have a 'smrtphone', there are some great free apps that will do that for you. I have Stepz loaded on to an iPhone and it's easy, handy and fun!

I had a pedometer app on my phone, but the problem is that I don't carry my phone everywhere. This let's me know what I'm doing all day without having to think about carrying it.

_________________"You get to have your own beliefs, and your own wishes, and dreams, and imaginations. What you don't get to have is your own reality." - Sethbag